If New York had lost, Dallas could have locked up a playoff spot with a win against the Redskins next week. The prospect seemed promising enough; New York was on the road, without two key starters and a mild identity crisis. Meanwhile, the Redskins, who led the league in overall ineptitude earlier in the year, were playing (dare I say) pretty good football.

But any hopes of this scenario were out the window by halftime, when New York carried a 24-0 lead going into the locker room.

The final tally was New York 45, Washington 12.

Jason Campbell was sacked five times and hurried on a dozen plays. Eli Manning looked like, well, Peyton Manning in picking apart the 'Skins secondary. By the early second quarter, it was clear that the evening could be better spent watching Monday Night Raw, or the 40 Year-Old Virgin on cable.

The good news is that Washington, Dallas's opponent next week, looked pretty awful. The bad news is that New York remains a game back of the Cowboys in the standings, and, judging by yesterday's performance, ready to make a late surge. And this is a team that knows a thing or two about making a late surge.

Still, the Cowboys, knock on wood, are in pretty good shape. They have a schedule comparable in difficulty to that of New York--The Giants have Carolina and Minnesota, Dallas has Washington and Philadelphia--and a game up on their rivals from the northeast, with two to play.